Battletech IC #1: Outreach

[SaintB]

Long Forgotten Combat Report
Bear hits the Grasshopper squarely in the torso as he dashes past scoring hits running across the left and right of the 'mech hitting all but the right arm. The Grasshopper returns fire with a large laser scraping Lil' Darlin' on the back of the right leg before giving chase and firing an impotent volley of missiles from it's LRM 5. Predictably the chase takes the Grasshopper out of ECM protection as it follows Bear and the Raven providing cover moves away.

Long Forgotten Damage Rolls
Grasshopper takes 4 Armor Damage to LT, 6 Armor Damage to CT, 6 Armor Damage to RT, and 2 Armor Damage to RA from Md.Pulse

Hellspawn takes 3 Armor Damage to RL from Lg. Laser and 1 Armor Damage to LL from bad landing

[SaintB]

Bear was heading North full tilt wagging and zig zagging across the open terrain; the Grasshopper was in pursuit but now that it had lost the protection from the ECM envelope the pilot seemed less intent on the Hellspawn as his particular prey. A beep in his right ear alerted him that he now had his pursuer targeted and he looked at the distance indicator which showed the enemy Grasshopper was loosing ground fast, in a few seconds he wouldn't even be within LRM range any more. He was considering his options when Ronin broke in on comms:

"Ronin to all lances, looks like they finally decided to give up the tiptoe-in-the-flowers bullshit and make a fight of it. Let's oblige them on our terms.

All prior orders are rescinded, all lances re-form under your original lance leaders and engage immediately after reformation.

Scout lance, your priority is disabling that Raven. Push the pace and don't slow down for anything. If it looks like there are enemies zeroing in on you, call it and be smart about engaging until the threat is neutralized.

Support Lance, mobile LRM cover. Don't waste any salvos, wait until ECM field is down or an enemy mech wanders out of coverage, other than that engagement discretion is up to you.

Battle lance we're going to have to be mobile agile and hostile. We'll use the 'knife and tomahawk' approach to start with. I'll work in stabbing and cutting, while Gun Dragon and Warhound cleave into the ranks with force. Focus on the brawlers and the strikers with the Grasshopper taking priority if possible.

Stick together, keep the pressure up, and they'll break. All lances... engage!"

"This is Bear: transmission received loud and clear but errm, I need to do something about this monkey on my back before I can regroup with Timberwolf and Bitch, but I also need to stop them from disengaging and heading after Andromeda and Priest."

[Oblivion2]

Artemus

Rolling his eyes once again, Artemus mashed the comms toggle down barely restraining the gravel and shouting he so desperately wished he could give into to some degree, as well as the litany that was slicing across his broca's area... but that wouldn't have helped, again.

"I'd rather not be blind as well Timberwolf, just reset the goddamn..."

The admonishment and any standard radio brevity was cut off rather quickly, because 'Operation Hornets Nest Kick' and running around with sensors fully active seemed to work. Whether or not the reward was one that anyone really wanted was anyone's guess.
From the mouth of the facility poured mech after mech as if the facility were some schizophrenic runaway factory. Leading the way was a Dragon, followed by a Flea and Locust.

As the distance between the two groups of mechs closed another wave suddenly vaulted the wall on jump jets. A pair of mechs, a Hatchetman and Chimera took an angle that looked primed to cut Artemus and James off, prompting a quick change of direction courtesy of Artemus.

"Woah, Timberwolf break left with me now!"

Heeling the Bushwacker to the left Artemus jammed the throttle forward, torso twisting right and left to check the position of both mechs and their movements. During the torso twisting he spied yet another group of mechs coming out of the facility, and in that group the bane of everyone's existence was spotted, for being flanked by a Hollander and a Quickdraw appeared the thin-legged beaked silhouette of the preeminent electronic warfare platform of the Inner Sphere, a Raven.

The situation had most definitely changed, and simply running down an enemy mech was no longer an option. Neither was being as spread out as the friendly lances were at that point. There was too much firepower in that group to simply surround and bombard, especially firepower concentrated in mechs which were designed to take a beating and still bear down.

As the simulator swayed and the simulated terrain rolled past Artemus angled out of the break and torso twisted to get a better view of the enemy formations, Artemus selected the company broadcast channel and started making the necessary adjustments.

"Ronin to all lances, looks like they finally decided to give up the tiptoe-in-the-flowers bullshit and make a fight of it. Let's oblige them on our terms.

All prior orders are rescinded, all lances re-form under your original lance leaders and engage immediately after reformation.

Scout lance, your priority is disabling that Raven. Push the pace and don't slow down for anything. If it looks like there are enemies zeroing in on you, call it and be smart about engaging until the threat is neutralized.

Support Lance, mobile LRM cover. Don't waste any salvos, wait until ECM field is down or an enemy mech wanders out of coverage, other than that engagement discretion is up to you.

Battle lance we're going to have to be mobile agile and hostile. We'll use the 'knife and tomahawk' approach to start with. I'll work in stabbing and cutting, while Gun Dragon and Warhound cleave into the ranks with force. Focus on the brawlers and the strikers with the Grasshopper taking priority if possible.

Stick together, keep the pressure up, and they'll break. All lances... engage!"

Keeping an eye on what the sensors provided him given the ECM screen, Artemus cut wide across the battlefield before turning back towards the facility. Since the Grasshopper had moved out first it was strung the furthest out, and primed for a shot. However the ECM field wasn't down so he would have to wait to see if the mech would turn or pause, slowing up just enough for a precision distance shot...

Kat
Begrudgingly admitting that Warhound was right in her own brain, Kat was about to admit as much when Jasmine cut in over the comms.

"Bitch to Dragon. Ronin's got me covering you an' the newbie case it goes south for him or anything else falls out that ECM field. Guess there's F-A to for us to do till then 'xcept keep an eye out, over."

Kat simply shrugged. Constant movement and formation-changing seemed to be Ronin's signature. Whether or not it would work was anyone's guess at this point.

She got about as far as hitting the comms transmit button on her throttle and getting a few words out...

"Roger Bitch, location is..."

Then the floodgates opened. Imitating rodents fleeing a burning sea vessel, mech after mech disgorged from the facility in a hodgepodge similar to their own ranks. Seemingly the madness that was Ronin's constant movement and quick-strikes had gotten a result, but not exactly a reward per se.

Then came the inevitable round of reacting comms transmissions, albeit this time much more simple and working in Kat's favor. The lances were re-formed, and direct combat was upon them. Moreover, her role suited her mech and her instruction just perfectly.

With perhaps a hint of relief and slight glee tinseling her voice, Kat responded in kind.
"Roger that Ronin, moving out. It seems that our moment has now arrived Warhound, any recommendations on your end?"

---

Artemus
Movement: Break north and throttle up to get away from enemy mech formations, turn right (south) in a wide arc and head on intercept vector towards Grasshopper while waiting for mech to turn or slow down.
Transmissions: Rescind previous ordrers, instruct original lances to re-form, instruct scout lance to engage Raven via fast "slashing" strikes with discreation, instruct support lance to operate at long range and bombard whenever they can achieve a lock at their discretion, order Main Battle lance to engage with him using Kat and Will as the big unit.

Kat:
Movement: Throttle forward out of Will's hiding position and start following Artemus
Transmissions: Confirm Artemus' orders, ask Will if he has any insight into formation or movement within Artemus' orders

Well, they were certainly in it now, Warhound figured. He watched as a half dozen 'mechs came barreling out of the facilities entrance and then turned towards the scout lance's position, followed by two more leaping over the walls and moving in towards Artemis' position, and then of course there was still the ever elusive grasshopper to deal with. It certainly looked like the enemy had put all their chips on one color on this one. Orders were quickly barked out and his new order involved him and Kat striking like thunder through the enemy formation. As she started moving forward so did Will, keeping a good distance of one hundred meters behind her. Soon he heard her voice come through on the comms, "It seems that our moment has now arrived Warhound, any recommendations on your end?"

Will took a quick assessment of the situation and then relayed his information back to Gun Dragon, "With that Raven tied up as the primary for our scout lance we need to break that Grasshopper off them quick, he dies first. As we close the Hatchetman takes precedent. Hopefully by then someone will have taken out the Raven and LRM'ed the Hollander and we can bear down on the Chimera or the Dragon depending on whats closest i'd say. Other then that the usual applies, engage and destroy with extreme prejudice ma'am." While he appreciated being brought into the loop and asked for his opinion, he wished he had had more time to think it out, still it was Kat's responsibility as lance leader to make those descisions and nothing Warhound could say would ultimately change her mind.

As he finished he heard Bear calling for support on the Grasshopper, and Will after having been held in reserve for so long felt obligated to atleast scare the shit out of the 'Hopper.

Still moving he reaquired the Grasshopper in his sights and whispered to himself, "Alright you little bastard, you're mine." Slowing briefly he let loose a barrage of AC/2 rounds followed by a quick lance of medium lasers. The crack of the AC/2 was more than satisfying when combined with the hum of the lasers. Having fired his rounds he increased his speed back to full and continued to keep pace with Kat as they closed in on the enemy lance.

Movement: Follow Kat at full speed, slow momentarily to take a few shots, resume previous speed.
Action: Engage Grasshopper with AC/2's and Medium lasers after breaking through the forest.

[Ularn]

"Fuck." Jaz breathed.
Seconds later when Ronin's instructions came over the comms, her heart sank. Thanks to his dividing up the Support Lance, her understrength unit was scattered all over the battlefield. Gun Bear was already engaged with the Grasshopper and TimberWolf was in firing range. They were too entangled to pull back now without the probability of being gunned down by the reinforcements.
Even if she hadn't liked Ronin's orders to remain in reserve, they had made a kind of sense now. Jaz, Dragon and Warhound were in a good position to give supporting fire; had been placed there fore exactly that purpose for exactly this situation. And now Storm had found himself ambushed he was contradicting his own strategy, telling them to abandon their positions and reorgansie into units that no longer existed with only moments until the real shooting started.
Until now Jaz had followed the orders grudgingly, maybe being prepared to take a little bit more liberty in their interpretationthan might be welcomes but never actually contradicting them, until now. She swore again then keyed her lance, "Bitch to Support, belay last order; you' too spread out. Link up with the nearest friendlies for protection and engage at will, over."
Reverting to her own backup plan, Jaz activated her jumpjets and launched her Catapult backwards, skimming the treetops before ploughing into the simulated trunk of an ancient oak tree, sending splinters everywhere. She was on the north side of the forest now, well out of direct line of sight of the battlefield and with Dragon and Warhound now betwen her and the enemy as they moved from their cover to engage. It also put the battlefield comfortably in the middle of her missile envelope instead of hovering on the edge of her minimum range. "Bitch to Dragon and Warhound," she commed, "I'll cover you best I can," A glance at her tac screen showed the grasshopper barely visible against the cloud of ECM static. Accuracy would be lousy with that interference but with the rest of the defenders still too covered by the field it was the best she could hope right now. Jaz hammered down on both firing nubs and another barrage of forty LRMs screamed skyward.
"Missiles in flight," she reported on the general frequency, "Now will someone deal with that fucking ECM so I can hit something?"

---

Jasmine
Transmissions: Countered Ronin's orders to regroup the Support Lance. Ordered the Support Lance to find friendlys for protection and engage the enemy at will. Advised Dragon and Warhound she would provide missile cover for their attack. Observed that supporting fire would be more effective if the ECM field was down.
Movement: Jumped to the north side of the forest, placing it between her and the battlefield.
Combat: Went to active sensors. Fired 2x LRM 20s at the enemy Grasshopper.

[Hardened Pyrokinetics]

James didn't need to be told twice. Immediately he turned the Vulture and followed Artemus at full throttle. "TimberWolf to Bitch. Orders received." He responded, no hint of his prior argument with his Lance Commander showing in his voice. "Ronin, looks like it's you and me for now. Tell me where to shoot and I'll shoot, although right now I'd suggest having me lay down some fire on the Raven."

[Northern Dominus]

Artemus

Evidently the Grasshopper had taken the bait for long enough,because as the distance shortened the sensors suddenly locked onto the enemy mech, just as Bear transmitted.

"This is Bear: transmission received loud and clear but errm, I need to do something about this monkey on my back before I can regroup with Timberwolf and Bitch, but I also need to stop them from disengaging and heading after Andromeda and Priest."

For a moment Artemus smirked. Despite his insistence on staying out of it in a command role, he was still ever the commanding officer, concerned about the peril of certain elements.
Hopefully he could at least see the shift in tactics and where it was headed and not worry too much.

"Copy that Bear, just keeWOA!"
His transmission was cut off by a pair of large-caliber shells flying overhead with what seemed like only milimeters of air between them and the top of his cockpit, followed by several near-blinding spears of light to one side, all of which impacted the Grasshopper with dizzying speedy succession.

'Well that's one way to get his attention. Now to do my part and start slash...'

Evidently at least one lance leader had different ideas, and it wasn't hard to guess who.

"Bitch to Support, belay last order; you're too spread out. Link up with the nearest friendly 'mechs for protection and engage at will, over."

The floodgates broke. Taking his hand off of the throttle for a moment Artemus thumped the console a couple of times, screaming a string of obscenties.

"Goddamn stupid ignorant moronic fucking... what the fuck is she thinking?! No wonder the TDF booted her ass, goddamn... if she wants to die fine, but for the rest.."

Artemus cut back in on the comms over the company-wide channel, turning the buswhacker and twisting the torso again while letting a long burst of medium pulse laser rake the Grasshopper. As the simulated mech moved, Artemus couldn't be sure what the cause of his sweating was, the rising artificial heat or the barely bottled fury.

"Ronin to Bear and Timberwolf. I won't bash your ears in, but I'll leave it up to your discretion on which orders to follow. Just keep in mind that Bitch is all by herself and well within range of a lot of mechs without any backup, over."

Manipulating every control he could hit in rapid succession, Artemus reversed the turn, throttled back, and torso twisted in the opposite direction. Still focused on the Grasshopper he kept his perhiphial vision as open as possible, ever on the lookout for another mech to come slashing in.

Jazz' next transmission wasn't any more comforting than her last one.

"Missiles in flight," she reported on the general frequency, "Now will someone deal with that fucking ECM so I can hit something?"

"Oh goddammit...Ba!"

Ronin nearly forgot to depress the comms toggle to transmit. His theory regarding Jazz' real reason for separation from the TDF was starting to be re-enforced."

"Battle lance watch your proximity to that Grasshopper, Bitch has gone maverick with her target selection, over!"

The sight of a Vulture out of the corner of his eyes and James' voice over the comms didn't do anything to abate his fury either.

"Ronin, looks like it's you and me for now. Tell me where to shoot and I'll shoot, although right now I'd suggest having me lay down some fire on the Raven."

Before he transmitted the arm of the Bushwacker that mounted the light gauss rifle suddenly swung out and fired, barely missing James' simulated cockpit. Obstinently, Artemus was aiming for the hatchetman that was behind James. He could have pulled that snapshot at another mech that wasn't shilloueted by the Vulture, but the snapshot was only half the point.

"Ronin to Timberwolf. Get off of my ass, hard reset your goddamn targeting and tracking system, then link up with either Bear or Bitch. We need your concentrated LRM fire with more than you hanging off of my tail end acting like a big red and black bullseye, over. "

Still maneuvering and waiting for the impact of Jazz' LRM salvo, Artemus shook his head and wondered just what in the blue hell had happened and just how royally screwed things could get with certain elements acting on their own initiative. To wit, Artemus didn't mind initiative at all, as long as it was good and pertinent. Given current events, good wasn't exactly a word Artemus had in mind.

Kat
Warhound might have been confident in his long-range shooting abilities while moving, but as relatively slow as their mechs were Kat wasn't taking any chances.

As the meters slowly ticked off, she listened to Warhound's suggestion over the comms

"With that Raven tied up as the primary for our scout lance we need to break that Grasshopper off them quick, he dies first. As we close the Hatchetman takes precedent. Hopefully by then someone will have taken out the Raven and LRM'ed the Hollander and we can bear down on the Chimera or the Dragon depending on whats closest i'd say. Other then that the usual applies, engage and destroy with extreme prejudice ma'am."

Which seemed to make sense. Given the relative speed of Artemus' Bushwacker and the combined firepower of both Warhound's and her mechs the tactics were a bit edgy but still valid.

"Roger that Warhound, if..."

Evidently Jazz had better ideas about the order of battle and who to shoot at first because her transmission indicated just where she was firing.

"Bitch to Dragon and Warhound," she commed, "I'll cover you best I can..."

Before a resounding boom and cloud of smoke highlighted her position. By that time she felt confident in taking a shot, placing the reticule over the torso of the grasshopper and pulling the trigger. Two blue columns of light instantly lashed out towards the grasshopper, crackling and thundering in the process. The firing of both PPCs instantly made the temperature gauge spike, but given the combined arms fire that the Grasshopper was under she questioned her need to fire them again in short order and instead contented herself to scanning the battlefield for targets creeping up on either Jazz or Artemus and James.

---

Artemus
Movement: Move at 86kph, turn and torso twist, reverse torso twist and turn while throttling down then back up
Action: Fire extended burst of 2xMPLAS at Grasshopper during first twist and turn, rotate right arm out and snapshot light gauss rifle at Hatchetman extremely close to James' simulated cockpit.
Transmissions:Inform Bear and James that Jazz is all by herself, order Battle lance to keep their distance from the Grasshopper until Jazz' missiles have impacted, order James to disengage and go support Bear instead of tying up Main Battle Lance

Kat
Movement:Forward at 64 KPH
Action: Fire both PPC's at Grasshopper's torso

Transmissions:

Semi-agree with Will's assessment.

[Hardened Pyrokinetics]

"Ronin, looks like it's you and me for now. Tell me where to shoot and I'll shoot, although right now I'd suggest having me lay down some fire on the Raven."

Before he transmitted the arm of the Bushwacker that mounted the light gauss rifle suddenly swung out and fired, barely missing James' simulated cockpit. Obstinently, Artemus was aiming for the hatchetman that was behind James. He could have pulled that snapshot at another mech that wasn't shilloueted by the Vulture, but the snapshot was only half the point.

"Ronin to Timberwolf. Get off of my ass, hard reset your goddamn targeting and tracking system, then link up with either Bear or Bitch. We need your concentrated LRM fire with more than you hanging off of my tail end acting like a big red and black bullseye, over. "

Still maneuvering and waiting for the impact of Jazz' LRM salvo, Artemus shook his head and wondered just what in the blue hell had happened and just how royally screwed things could get with certain elements acting on their own initiative. To wit, Artemus didn't mind initiative at all, as long as it was good and pertinent. Given current events, good wasn't exactly a word Artemus had in mind.

"TimberWolf to Ronin." James responded, ignoring the near-hit on his cockpit. "Negative. You're essentially out here yourself, and separating from you would put both of us in danger of isolation, and targeting resets take time. Speaking of..."

He began the reset, and maneuvered to remain left and slightly behind Ronin, putting him between the opposition and his 'Mech. "Reset started. Keep me covered for five minutes. Then we party."

[Occupied Deutschland]

Walther cursed lightly and hurried his Locust out of the water and onto dry land, slightly pleased to see the heat levels hovering under regular operating temperature but more worried about the medley of mech’s that had erupted from the enemy base.

“Copy that, Priest is moving to engage the Raven.” Walther spat. “Somehow.” He finished after he had closed the communication.

Andromeda was detailed too far off to be of any immediate support and the Raven would be an immense problem for the actual battle lance. The enemy scout mechs were concerning for him, but would pose little problem to the rest of the force, so the Raven was definitely the top priority. But what could he do to the thing? It’d take a while for his popguns to tear it apart, and in that time one of the enemy mechs would be free to shoot him.

Once again Walther’s eyes floated to his armor readout. There was way too much red on the representation from his previous fun encounter with the enemy LRMs. One more solid hit and he’d be…

Oh, heyyy…

Snapping to a decision, Walther slammed his throttle wide open and hoped against hope he wouldn’t hit an uneven patch of land as he began to charge forward at the flank of the enemy battle line. That Raven had to be taken down quick, he didn’t have time for a wider approach. Hopefully the other enemy mechs would be concerned with other people and would pay little heed to the Locust charging up their flank.

Even if they didn’t, it’s not like they’d have a lot of time to react. Walther’s Locust didn’t accelerate quite as fast as the Cicada that he had driven the previous day, but it did go faster. In little time at all, Walther’s mech was speeding down the battlefield at more then 120 kph, towards the edge of the enemy line.

After he got there, he could shift and make his way to the Raven.

“Time for the rest of you folks to act as the distraction for a change.” Walther muttered through clenched teeth as he dedicated almost all of his concentration to keeping the mech’s balance.

On the bright side, the cockpit was still relatively cool from the time he had spent in the water. That'd change soon, but for now it was a welcome relief.

Actions:
Move at full speed 'East' up the side of the enemy line, trying to look inconspicuous.

[Strykla]

OOC: O SHEET!

Julius slowed his hand on the throttle, dropping back to be Bear's wingman. The Osiris pounded forward, weapons scanning; so far he'd barely flexed his muscles with nothing more than a few potshots. He pulled up the tactical overlays.

One part caught his eye; it was his lance commander, who had just started on a mad charge east. Julius slowed the Osiris and pivoted on the claw, slamming the throttle to full. The ride started to get more than a little bumpy. His mech, the god of the underworld, flew after the Locust at 130 kilometers per hour - faster, even, than the smaller Locust, thanks to the powerful Pharaoh XL engine - though, of course, the heat shot up. A tiny hula-cougar superglued to the control panel flew about, the strands about the waist of the toy mech going every which way.

"Bear, Bear, this is Andromeda. I'm coming in at one-three-zero kph from the east, break; please ID targets, over." Hopefully, if his officer was paying attention, he'd be watching the enemy mechs and other targets. Andromeda didn't plan on killing anything; however, they needed fire support and his Osiris could dictate the long-range fire from other mechs. And draw fire, if need be; he was fast enough.

[SaintB]

Combat
Warhound's AC shells impact the Grasshopper in the upper left arm and torso the lasers make an impressive light show but fail to reach the target at this range. Without a proper target lock Jaz's missiles fall around the area like an explosive rain and peppers the Grasshopper with a few hits. Ronin never closes into close enough range for his pulse lasers to effectively defeat the Grasshopper's thick armor before taking a snap shot at the enemy Hatchetman, which cruises just past the 'mechs signature weapon. Dragon's PPCs score hits on the center and left torso of her target.

The Grasshopper pilot seeing themselves faced with more and heavier opposition than they can handle fires their jump jets in reverse in an attempt to put distance between himself and all his attackers, the 'mech's torso is obviously vulnerable to attack. The Hollander 'mech flanks the rest of the enemy force and fires a shot at Ronin's Bushwhacker before retreating back to safety, the massive metal slug scores a glancing blow a against the right arm, a shot that would have sunk deep into the center torso if he hadn't rotated at the last minute.

Damage
Grasshopper takes 3 Armor Damage to LA, 14Armor Damage to LT, 10 Armor Damage to CT from combined assault.

Bushwhacker takes 7 Armor Damage to Right Arm.

[Hardened Pyrokinetics]

James rotated his torso to face the Hollander, using Ronin for cover. Even with his computer still restarting, provided the techs did it right he should...

And they didn't. Despite hammering on the triggers, his pulse lasers refused to fire. He slammed a fist down on the console. "TimberWolf to Ronin, remind me to have a very serious talk with the techs responsible for programming this simulation. Morons decided to cut corners and make my Vulture run on default settings, so I can't even fire my lasers while my targeting computer resets. Apologies for that."

[Ularn]

Jaz swore again as she witnessed the ineffectiveness of her barrage on the tac-screen. Even without a decent lock, she had hoped the combined fire of her missiles and half the other 'mechs in the field would have been enough to send the defenders' Grasshopper the way of their centurion.
As her target's leap backwards put it once more even deeper into the safety of whatever was creating the ECM field, Jaz commed the other lance leaders, "Bitch to Ronin, Dragon, Priest. Missiles aren't gonna do a thing against anything out there 'til someone gets rid of that ECM. Can't lock onto any target in the mean time, over."

[Northern Dominus]

Artemus

Before he could succumb to one of Jazz' tendencies and address James in a decidedly non-brevity fashion with a new nickname a mind-scraping screech and sudden heave and vibrations occupied most of Artemus' attention.
In the midst of the noise and vibrations a small, subtle sound stuck out and accrued his attention; a tinny yet piercing "deedeedeedee-deedeedeedee" that was the first of many general warning noises that battlemechs made. A quick scouring of his gauges and readouts told Artemus that indeed the right arm had taken the brunt of that last large hit.

With the red mist descending and focusing any of his judgement, Artemus quickly looked for the problem, knowing full well that a Grasshopper was incapable of delivering the impact of that attack without having a missile warning tip anyone off.
It took less than a second to find the obvious culprit, and less than half of that to center the reticule on the Hollander.

Jamming the throttle forward, Artemus screamed
"Go back to Tri-M and learn how to shoot asshole!"

Before pulling the trigger, firing the light gauss rifle yet again. This time the shot was aimed for the upper left torso just below the Hollander's cockpit, and subsequently after the simulator vibrated in kind with a light gauss shot Artemus turned the Bushwacker to the right, twisted the torso left and began a flanking maneuver.

The shot carried more than just simulated kinetic energy however; in a metaphysical sense it carried some of the frustration and anger that had built up in the chest of Artemus; the apparent panicking of Jazz and James that screwed with the on-the-fly battleplan at the moment, the lack of mech destruction after the barrage that the Grasshopper endured, the persistent ECM field that hadn't so much as flickered, it could have been misconstrued as an attempt to deliberately frustrate Artemus and make him look bad, a thought which had crossed his mind, however subtle it might have been.

However, cooler heads prevailed and subconsciously Artemus had been listening into various transmissions and applying them to the sensor readings and map positions, and as ever Artemus attempted to get a grip on the situation and bump if not steer the actions of the company.

Priority one of course was the ECMs, and since nothing seemed to have changed since his intial order he had to lean hard on the Scout Lance.
"Ronin to Priest and Andromeda. ECM's are still active, what's your status on your attack? We need that Raven dealt with as of five minutes ago, so I need a go or no-go so another unit can be assigned if need be, over."

Moving in time with the simulator pod's simulated footfalls, he then turned his attention to more pressing concerns. First was the ever-present issue of James. Try as he might, he couldn't hide his gaudy omnimech behind the Bushwacker. His explanation of his current situation, trying as it might have been didn't help things either.

"TimberWolf to Ronin, remind me to have a very serious talk with the techs responsible for programming this simulation. Morons decided to cut corners and make my Vulture run on default settings, so I can't even fire my lasers while my targeting computer resets. Apologies for that."

If James was looking for sympathy or a pass however, he wasn't going to get any.

"Ronin to Timberwolf. I don't care if your ammo bins are empty and there's a crazed branth loose in your cockpit, de-attach yourself from my ass and either flank that Hollander to the right or go re-enforce Bitch or I'll feed you to the enemy myself! Over!"
And from babysitting James Artemus moved to semi-babysitting Jazz, who had her own report.

"Bitch to Ronin, Dragon, Priest. Missiles aren't gonna do a thing against anything out there 'til someone gets rid of that ECM. Can't lock onto any target in the mean time, over."

Initially Artemus was tempted to play her own game and very nearly transmitted his running train of thought

'Well no shit, thanks for the update queen duh XVII of heshiba...'
However again, he bit back the compunction, although not completely.

"Ronin to Bitch, copy. ECM field is still apparent on my sensors, ungroup your LRMS close down to at least 200 meters and dumb-fire at any enemy groups until field is down, over."
Still flanking and closing, Artemus selected the medium pulse laser group again and angled slightly, trying to close the distance a little quicker without giving the Hollander an easier shot. Knowing full well that Kat and Warhound probably would follow him he addressed that problem as well.

"Warhound, Gun Dragon, stay on that Grasshopper and watch each other's asses. Once the Hollander is dealt with I'll rejoin but for now just keep shooting, over."
Not waiting for a response, Artemus geared up for a sudden move while trying to keep track of one last element. Almost being lost in the shuffle, Artemus figured Bear could be a valuable resource in more than one way.

"Ronin to Bear. What's your position and status? I'd appreciate your own tactical assessment. Additionally, can you attack that Raven if the Scouts cant get to it in less than 60 seconds? Over."
As he waited for the resulting updates and adjustments to either come in and help or hinder the ongoing combat, Artemus finally pulled the maneuver he had set up for. Throttling back suddenly he semi-stopped the Bushwacker for a moment before sharply turning left then right again using both the joystick and the throttle to sharpen his turns. Adding to the effect was the seemingly random torso-twisting through the entire maneuver intended to mask his intentions and create confusion as to which way the Bushwacker was going to run next.

The sudden S-juke and torso twisting was designed to throw off any lead the Hollander's mechwarrior was gaining and to throw off their aim long enough for him to bring his medium pulse lasers then SRM-4s to bear. It was a bit of a risk but at the speed the Bushwacker could close down he was reasonably sure it would work.

At that point, Artemus was pretty sure he would have to rely on himself in order to survive the simulated engagement, much less win, moreso than at any other time until that moment.

Kat

The second Artemus' Bushwacker took a shot to the arm, Kat was almost certain that they'd have to ignore the Grasshopper. She wouldn't have blamed him totally for a sudden shift in tactics, the ECM field still operating and the wasted missile shot had irritaed her to no end as well.

However, Artemus' orders to keep on target meant that while effectively her and Warhound still had concentrated firepower, they'd have to deal with direct threats that didn't have to worry about a medium mech cutting them to ribbons in the process.

The thought concerned her...for a moment.

"Gun Dragon to Warhound, it seems as though we're on our own for the time being. I say we finish what we started and turn that Grasshopper into simulated scrap, over."
Stomping forward like an ancient Terran monster of certain films, the Warhammer never deviated from its march towards the grasshopper, and as its feet came within milimeters of the ground the twin PPCs fired again at the dead center, the twin white-blue lances encompassed by spirals drawing a line between the two mechs and illiciting a simulated roar as the simulated air was superheated and resulted in a low thunderous boom indicitave to all PPC weapons.

In the cockpit Kat started to sweat in her own right despite the cooling vest. Firing the PPCs as a weapons group in rapid succession certainly spiked the internal temperature and sparked various warnings from the computer. As Warhound plotted his firing solution Kat selected her medium pulse lasers in anticipation of the Grasshopper coming into range when she spotted movement out of the corner of her eye. Evidently the Chimera and Hatchetman weren't content with just watching, which had the potential to become problematic in a hurry. That was something Warhound had to know.

"Gun Dragon to Warhound, looks like the Chimera and the Hatchetman want to engage."
The Grasshopper might have taken priority, but Kat knew that there was more than one way to keep their flanks covered.

"Gun Dragon to Bitch. I know you can't lock missiles currently, but is it possible you can engage either the Chimera or Hatchetman if not both?"

---

Artemus
Movement: Turn towards Hollander, begin right flanking maneuver, perform s-juke maneuver
Actions: Fire light gauss rifle at Hollander upper left torso, torso twist towards Hollander during flanking maneuver, random torso-twist during s-juke maneuver
Transmissions: Request status update from Scout Lance on their attack on Raven, order James to either flank to the left of the Hollander or rejoin Jazz under penalty of destruction for continued attempt at hiding, order Jazz to de-group her LRMs and close up distance in order to fire individual salvos without lock, inquire Bear as to his own tactical analysis and if he can engage the Raven if the scout's cant.

Kat
Movement: Forward at 64kph towards Grasshopper
Actions: Fire both PPCs at Grasshopper's torso when its feet are close to ground level after jumping
Transmission: Inform Warhound of Chimera and Hatchetman, request Jazz engage one or both mechs.

[Occupied Deutschland]

Walther swallowed heavily as the feedback in his neurohelmet tried to convince him he was the one bobbing up and down and his inner ear went nuts over the news. As much as he enjoyed going fast, the sensation wasn’t exactly pleasant.

It didn’t help when there were people yakking away in his ear he was expected to respond to.

Artemus
[snip]
"Ronin to Priest and Andromeda. ECM's are still active, what's your status on your attack? We need that Raven dealt with as of five minutes ago, so I need a go or no-go so another unit can be assigned if need be, over."

“The status of my attack is I’M RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF IT, SIR!” Walther yelled into his radio as he fought another urge by his mech to go careening to the side because of a slightly uneven bit of ground it had walked on. He used every trick in the book he knew but still couldn’t prevent his Locust from swaying back and forth like a drunken arena-fighter as it moved.

"The impossible I can do immediately, miracles happen to take a little longer. So learn you some patience sonny." Walther continued, his voice much less serious than the words suggested.

“Andromeda, If I don’t drop this guy make sure you do.”

Walther shifted his mech and proceeded at a dead run towards the Raven. As he came into range he gritted his teeth. This was going to be tough.

With a quick swipe, Walther slammed his throttle from wide open to stop in mid-stride. Bracing himself, he focused for what he had to do. If his balance was off, he was going to trip and plaster himself all over the simulated ground like an idiot. Hopefully the simulator was realistic enough to do what he wanted to do.

Walther cursed inwardly. He hadn’t thought about how the simulator would read what he was trying to do. Oh well, too late to stop now.

The Locust’s leg slammed into the ground at a slight angle. An angle high enough to dig a small hole in the ground, but low enough that it didn’t skip off the surface and send the mech falling. The whole cockpit seemed to jar roughly, and Walther struggled against the mech’s desire to fall to the side with all his might. He was slightly disoriented, vaguely sick, and had bit his own tongue, but he was also stopped.

Was there a reward for shortest stopping distance from high speeds?

Shaking off the extraneous thought, Walther glanced at his computer. The Raven was in range.

Walther depressed every trigger in reach when his reticule was hovering over the Raven’s torso. His cockpit displayed a momentary brilliance of color from the lasers fire, and then Walther found it difficult to notice much of anything as the heat spiked so severely that he swore he was sitting on top of the sun itself.

Which, in a way was correct.

Sweat pouring down his brow, Walther shakily reached over and opened his throttle open again, charging towards the Raven before even assessing what his attack had done.

He didn’t have time to. If the Raven got off a shot at him he was more than likely finished. His armor was paper thin as it was.

Gritting his teeth against the heat, Walther depressed a button on the side of the throttle control and pushed it further forward. There was a dark chugging sound from deep inside the simulated cockpit, but Walther’s mech began to race towards the Raven. Walther couldn’t spare the time or concentration to glance at his speed indicator, but he knew it would be floating around one-eighty kph. Of course, it was also churning out waste heat like nobody's business, but in this instance that might be helpful.

Time for him to teach the Raven a little about Newton’s laws of motion. If he survived the charge, that was.

[Oblivion2]

"Gun Dragon to Warhound, it seems as though we're on our own for the time being. I say we finish what we started and turn that Grasshopper into simulated scrap, over."

A shadow of a smile began to form on Will's lips as Gun Dragon gave him the go ahead to continue engaging. Even though it was simulated, seeing the sparking of rounds on armor was immensely satisfying. And the Grasshoppers reaction? Absolutely perfect. Instead of bothering to turn or even torso twist the moron decides to fire his jump jets backwards, leaving his torso totally exposed. Will gunned his 'Mech and closed the distance as fast as he could. Tracking the 'Hopper's trajectory he didn't even bother putting rounds on him in the air, instead he was waiting for the 'Mech to touch down.

He readied all of his Autocannons, the twos and the twenty, and when the hopper touched down it had a moment of hesitation where it did not move at all. With a feral grin on his face William pulled the trigger for his autocannons and with three massive thumps, sent the rounds thundering towards the Medium 'Mech's exposed torso.

The moment his rounds were away however, Gun Dragon squelched in over the comms:

"Gun Dragon to Warhound, looks like the Chimera and the Hatchetman want to engage."

This might complicate things. Keying his comms he replied, "Just put the big guns on the 'Hopper ma'am. Hopefully we can shift to the two other stooges quickly, Warhound out."

[SaintB]

Bear was executing a u-turn as sharp as he could take the Hellspawn without having to overcompensate for balance while keeping an eye on his HUD and peering through the cockpit at the situation as it unfolded, trying to decide where best to position himself, either back with Bitch and her catapult or if he would be more needed elsewhere.

"Ronin to Bear. What's your position and status? I'd appreciate your own tactical assessment. Additionally, can you attack that Raven if the Scouts cant get to it in less than 60 seconds? Over."

"I'm coming back around to where I handed that bug to you all, I have to say you guys did a bangup job banging him up."

He shifted on his command bench and took a look out the side view port (another thing he loved about the 'mech was its very generous field of view) to see Preist and Andromeda rushing toward the Raven in what might be sure to be a suicidal assault considering the 'mechs in the vicinity of that Raven.

"As for the Raven and the tactical assessment..." he heaved a sigh, "I'm gonna head in there and jam that fuckers ECM; if we regroup to take advantage of ours we can kiss Preist and Andromeda goodbeye. I'm going to rush in there and run counter frequencies and do my best to keep the entire enemy company from firing on our light 'mechs. If... WHEN I get that ECM cloud down I say to get Bitch and Timberwolf to gang up and focus their LRM fire on that Hollander, then focus one each on the Flea and Locust. Get Warhound and Dragon to pick a brawler and stick with them. We busy those brawlers, pick the sniper and scouts off and, disable the ECM... and pretty much do our best to devolve this into a knockdown drag-out fight is the best solution I got. That still leaves a Chimera and a Hatchetman for you and me deal with."

It was a shaky plan, but it was still a plan; the plan would require maximum initiative and minimum repositioning which should work in their favor since right now the initiative clearly belonged to this squad and not the other. Since the throttle was already wide open Bear corrected his course for a straight shot heading in at a slight angle toward the enemy Raven, his course would put him between Priest and Andromeda while they attacked the Raven and everything else.

[Hardened Pyrokinetics]

James gritted his teeth and took a second before responding. "Ronin, what part of 'if I split off now we're both sitting ducks' do you not get? You're the one who split me off from my lance in the first place, and with them spread out everywhere exposing myself to fire would be suicidal." Then he just barely avoided crashing into Ronin's Bushwacker, swerving at the last second to avoid him. "AND WATCH WHERE YOU'RE MOVING THAT THING, WE ALMOST COLLIDED!"

He ran behind a rather large tree and checked his display. "Estimate about three more minutes on the reboot. I rebooted the entire targeting system including fire control before I realized the techs did a shitty job, so this is taking a bit longer than expected. Apologies."

"Bear, I'm with Ronin right now and can engage that Hollander once I'm actually able to shoot again. If Bitch can make it here in the meantime that would be great, if not I'm certain Ronin and I can handle it. That is, if she's willing to work with me this time."

[SaintB]

Bear had programmed the ECM to run a rapid series of jamming signals until one locked, all he had to to was hit the send button on the on board computer and he'd be running in ECCM Mode, hopefully jamming that enemy signal when he heard Timberwolf complaining on the comms

"Ronin, what part of 'if I split off now we're both sitting ducks' do you not get? You're the one who split me off from my lance in the first place, and with them spread out everywhere exposing myself to fire would be suicidal." AND WATCH WHERE YOU'RE MOVING THAT THING, WE ALMOST COLLIDED!"

A few seconds silence

"Estimate about three more minutes on the reboot. I rebooted the entire targeting system including fire control before I realized the techs did a shitty job, so this is taking a bit longer than expected. Apologies."

And then to him

"Bear, I'm with Ronin right now and can engage that Hollander once I'm actually able to shoot again. If Bitch can make it here in the meantime that would be great, if not I'm certain Ronin and I can handle it. That is, if she's willing to work with me this time."

Damnit, a 'mech that can't shoot is... not completely useless.... the question is is James willing to be enough of a team player? James himself gave him the idea incidentally, suicide, collided, Hollander...

He hit the comm, "Bear to Timberwolf do you copy? This might sound like insanity but I want you to charge that Hollander, make him think you are engaging him! You're twice his weight and the same speed, just charge him, he'll have no choice but to turn and flee if you can close that distance fast enough, we need to keep the guy out of the fight and you're in the best position to do that job kid."

[Hardened Pyrokinetics]

Bear had programmed the ECM to run a rapid series of jamming signals until one locked, all he had to to was hit the send button on the on board computer and he'd be running in ECCM Mode, hopefully jamming that enemy signal when he heard Timberwolf complaining on the comms

"Ronin, what part of 'if I split off now we're both sitting ducks' do you not get? You're the one who split me off from my lance in the first place, and with them spread out everywhere exposing myself to fire would be suicidal." AND WATCH WHERE YOU'RE MOVING THAT THING, WE ALMOST COLLIDED!"

A few seconds silence

"Estimate about three more minutes on the reboot. I rebooted the entire targeting system including fire control before I realized the techs did a shitty job, so this is taking a bit longer than expected. Apologies."

And then to him

"Bear, I'm with Ronin right now and can engage that Hollander once I'm actually able to shoot again. If Bitch can make it here in the meantime that would be great, if not I'm certain Ronin and I can handle it. That is, if she's willing to work with me this time."

Damnit, a 'mech that can't shoot is... not completely useless.... the question is is James willing to be enough of a team player? James himself gave him the idea incidentally, suicide, collided, Hollander...

He hit the comm, "Bear to Timberwolf do you copy? This might sound like insanity but I want you to charge that Hollander, make him think you are engaging him! You're twice his weight and the same speed, just charge him, he'll have no choice but to turn and flee if you can close that distance fast enough, we need to keep the guy out of the fight and you're in the best position to do that job kid."

James would have laughed if this was Solaris. "TimberWolf to Bear, are you absolutely fucking crazy? One shot from that Hollander at close range and I'm toast. There'd be no way of avoiding a shot to the head or engine."

[SaintB]

Bear had programmed the ECM to run a rapid series of jamming signals until one locked, all he had to to was hit the send button on the on board computer and he'd be running in ECCM Mode, hopefully jamming that enemy signal when he heard Timberwolf complaining on the comms



A few seconds silence

And then to him


Damnit, a 'mech that can't shoot is... not completely useless.... the question is is James willing to be enough of a team player? James himself gave him the idea incidentally, suicide, collided, Hollander...

He hit the comm, "Bear to Timberwolf do you copy? This might sound like insanity but I want you to charge that Hollander, make him think you are engaging him! You're twice his weight and the same speed, just charge him, he'll have no choice but to turn and flee if you can close that distance fast enough, we need to keep the guy out of the fight and you're in the best position to do that job kid."

James would have laughed if this was Solaris. "TimberWolf to Bear, are you absolutely fucking crazy? One shot from that Hollander at close range and I'm toast. There'd be no way of avoiding a shot to the head or engine."

Dave shot right back, calm and collected: "If you don't give him the chance to set up he can't get a shot off. He has no idea your computer is rebooting so just rush him, don't let him get the chance to sit still and aim. All that thing is is an extra light engine with a big fucking gun. Just keep him busy long enough to kill that Raven..."

Time was running out, any second that Hollander would get in position. Callahan's 'mech was as close to perfect for the job as he could ask for, it could match the Hollander for speed and with a pilot with as much raw talent as that kid he was certain that it couldn't outmaneuver him. Vultures were known to carry a deadly combination of lasers as well as their missiles so with such an obvious one rushing straight at the pilot they should see no option but to try and escape, if he could close within missile range, just 600 meters, that Hollander should haul ass. Even if it did get a shot off chances were that the Vulture's armor could absorb one or two direct hits before any serious damage occurred to the structure.

"Damnit James just trust me and act like you plan on running that Hollander down like a varmint in the road!"

[Hardened Pyrokinetics]

James would have laughed if this was Solaris. "TimberWolf to Bear, are you absolutely fucking crazy? One shot from that Hollander at close range and I'm toast. There'd be no way of avoiding a shot to the head or engine."

Dave shot right back, calm and collected: "If you don't give him the chance to set up he can't get a shot off. He has no idea your computer is rebooting so just rush him, don't let him get the chance to sit still and aim. All that thing is is an extra light engine with a big fucking gun. Just keep him busy long enough to kill that Raven..."

Time was running out, any second that Hollander would get in position. Callahan's 'mech was as close to perfect for the job as he could ask for, it could match the Hollander for speed and with a pilot with as much raw talent as that kid he was certain that it couldn't outmaneuver him. Vultures were known to carry a deadly combination of lasers as well as their missiles so with such an obvious one rushing straight at the pilot they should see no option but to try and escape, if he could close within missile range, just 600 meters, that Hollander should haul ass. Even if it did get a shot off chances were that the Vulture's armor could absorb one or two direct hits before any serious damage occurred to the structure.

"Damnit James just trust me and act like you plan on running that Hollander down like a varmint in the road!"

James took a second to breathe, and looked over his displays. One minute until the reboot finished. If he timed his charge just right...

He sighed. This was a completely stupid and insane idea, but if it worked...

"TimberWolf to Ronin, I'm engaging. Try and keep me covered as much as possible." He sprang the Vulture out from behind the tree, turned hard enough that the 'Mech almost went 45^o, and charged full-tilt at the Hollander. "TimberWolf to Bear, if this doesn't work you owe me a Periphery PPC."

[SaintB]

Combat

The Hollander is making its way along the north side of the compound's wall at maximum walk trying to get a bead on Priest's Locustwhen its sensors pick up one... two, three, four enemy contacts closing in rapidly and close enough to fire on it with LRMs, the pilot predictably speeds up in an attempt to escape danger range and resume sniping the enemy but he was too late. Ronin's light Gauss shot hits the 'mech in the back through the right side of the torso striking the Gauss rifle. The capacitors inside the weapon erupt a few seconds later, releasing all their pent up energy and exploding - the blast shatters the Hollander's right arm and and severely damages the engine and gyro. The pilot keeps it upright amazingly as the 'mech staggers, steam and coolant belch from the 'mechs ruined torso section and it moves at a crawl barely able to maintain 12k/h. After a couple of slow, stuttering, shaky, steps the pilot ejects and the remains of the once proud 'mech tumble like so many tons of scrap.

Priests laser volley all but annihilates the Raven's left arm stripping it entirely of armor and cutting through the shoulder actuator, the NARC launcher it contains suffers severe laser damage and is rendered inoperable. The Raven pilot pushes the throttle to full, trying to escape his charging attacker, and rotates his torso attempting to get a shot but with Priests Locust hitting maximum drive its a difficult prospect.

The Grasshopper's landing is not the safe one he expected, chased down by two 70 ton brawlers it receives another beating for all it's effort. An AC/2 round passes right by but then the left arm is hit and mangled by Warhound's AC/20 tearing completely off at the lower actuator, the second AC/2 round and Dragon's left PPC impact with the left torso stripping the remaining armor and disintegrating one of the many heat sinks the 'mech mounts, it also shorts out the Grasshopper's HUD for a few seconds. The center torso absorbs the impact from the second PPC blast but Dragon and Warhound's target indicators show a deep red color that indicates a critical shortage of armor. The Grasshopper returns fire with all remaining lasers, sending azure and pale green lances of light through the sky, the large laser cuts wildly but manages to hit the upper leg and right torso of Warhound's Cataphract while Dragon's Warhammer is grazed by a medium.

The Chimera rushes into the action by moving to engage with Bear's Hellspawn and fires an ER Large laser at its legs that burns nothing but grass as the speed and range of his target make a difficult shot.

Hatchetman jumps toward Priest's location trying to get between him and the Raven.

The Flea and Locust rush forward, matching their speed at about 90km/h and try to rush around the flank, looking to harass Bitch's Catapult.

The enemy Dragon sees Ronin and his Bushwhacker and launches an attack from the front by firing its AC/5 and trying to move within laser shot. The AC/5 round penetrates the Left Torso squarely but is absorbed by the armor.

The Quickdraw tries to aid the wounded Grasshopper and makes a beeline for it's pair of attackers, trying to get a solid missile lock.

Damage Report

Hollander takes 2 Armor Damage and 6 Damage to to RT (Rear) from Light Gauss.
Critical Hit
Hollander loses Gauss RIfle
Hollander takes 2 Damage to RT, 6 Damage to RA, and 12 Damage to CT from Gauss explosion.
Kill enemy pilot ejects.

Raven takes 5 Armor damage to LA from Md.Lsr.
Raven takes 2Armor damage and 1 Damage to LA from Sm. Lsr.
Critical Hit
Raven looses Shoulder Actuator
Raven takes 3 damage to LA from Sm.Lsr.
Critical Hit
Raven looses NARC Launcher

Grasshopper takes 19 Armor damage and 1 damage to LA from AC/20
Double Critical
Grasshopper looses Md. Laser and Lower Arm Actuator
Grasshopper takes 2 Armor Damage to LT from AC/2
Grasshopper takes 2 Armor Damage and 8 damage to LT from ER PPC
Critical Hit
Grasshopper looses Heat Sink
Grasshopper takes 10 armor damage to CT from ER PPC

Cataphract takes 3 armor damage to RL and 2 armor damage to RT from Lg.Lsr.

Warhammer takes 4 armor damage to LA from Md.Lsr.

Bushwhacker takes 5 armor damage to LT

[Oblivion2]

Will grimaced as the simulated laser washed over his 'Mech's armor and rose the artificial temperature slightly. While it was no doubt satisfying seeing his AC/20 tearing the arm off the 'Hopper, he had still wished he had downed it. Regardless, it wouldn't survive another volley. Keying his Mic he hailed Kat, "Warhound to Gun-Dragon, I'll finish the 'Hopper, recommend you snag another target over."

He knew that Kat was an ace with those PPC's and the range they brought would be significantly more effective than his AC/2's, so naturally he would stick with destroying targets at face range. Still closing with the damaged Grasshopper, but running at reduced speed Warhound heard the clang of a successfully reloaded AC/20. Thumbing the controls for his 20 and the pair of medium lasers on the 'Mech he aimed dead center for the 'Hopper and whispered, "Good night you bastard."

Movement: continue bearing down on the grasshopper at 32 KPH
Action: Fire AC/20 and medium lasers at the Grasshopper.

[Ularn]

At Ronin's order Jaz had begun reluctantly making her way back south, stomping through the trees without much care for the flying splinters and collapsing branches she left in her wake. Jump-jets might have been an option but she had already used them recently and combined with the last missile volley Jaz's simulated temperatures were, if not yet dangerous, at least reaching a point worth noting, and the journey by foot gave a little time for a cool down before she found herself on the edge of the meat grinder.
Direct-firing her missiles ungrouped might be slightly more effective against targets in an ECM field but still not enough to make Jaz see it as anything else than a waste of ammo. Given the choice, she'd consider harsh language a viable and similarly effective alternative to unguided missile fire. People had often commented on her weapons-grade vocabulary.
Fortunately it never came to that. Before she reached the edge of the forest again and could line up a target by eyeball, two light 'mechs managed to evade the melee outside the base and sprinted out from the ECM cover, making a beeline for Jaz's previous location at the woods' north-eastern corner. They were closing fast but Jaz still could not have asked for a more delicious pair of targets than this pair of lightly armoured scouts.
"Bad luck, pigshits," she growled, grinning carnivorously as her thumbs depressed the left pod's firing stud. Twenty LRMs vomited forth from her 'mech's simulated missile pod and roared towards the nearest assailant. It was followed mere seconds later by another twenty from the right pod, time enough for Jaz to achieve a healthy target lock on the other belligerent 'mech which was now also far from the safety of the ECM shroud.
As soon as the second salvo was airborne and before the first had even impacted, Jaz launched her 'mech into the air on its jumpjets once more, directing herself westwards, away from the battlefield and deeper into the forest. With her heavy 'mech surrounded by trees, the two scouts which could only be the Flea and Locust Ronin's advanced elements spotted earlier would have to get in closer than normal to see Jaz and bring their direct-firing loadout of small arms to bear. Neither one had jumpjets either, so they would have to navigate the trees on foot which would cost them in terms of speed and agility. Meanwhile Jaz had plenty of missiles and could lay down withering amounts of fire on her attackers by firing them skywards to come down on them from above, streaking through the flimsy foliage canopy and turning the engagement to her advantage even at this uncomfortable proximity.
Only when her 'mech hit the ground did Jaz turn her attention to the tac screen for the results of her missiles and comm Ronin to notify him of the change of circumstances. "Bitch to Ronin; a couple of 'mechs slipped the net over at your end and're comin' after me. Think it's the Locust and Flea. If it is I can handle them for now, but missile support's gonna be even more off the menu than usual for a couple'a secs. Over,"

---

Jasmine
Transmissions: Advised Ronin she had been engaged but not to send help.
Movement: Jumped to the west, placing herself in the centre-western portion of the forest.
Combat: Fired 1x LRM 20 at the enemy Locust. Fired 1x LRM 20 at the enemy Flea.

[Occupied Deutschland]

Walther smirked slightly as he saw his lasers impact on the Raven. He couldn't see what the effect had been, and his computer that would was a haze of white snow, unable to operate because of the intense heat of the cabin. But whatever had happened, it had got the job done. The Raven was hurt and his heat was floating just below critical levels and showing little sign of decreasing anytime soon. In most other circumstances, it'd be time for him to retreat until he could cool down and use his weapons again, but this wasn't most circumstances.

The Raven had to be knocked out as quickly as possible.

"That ECM cloud should be down momentarily." Walther muttered into his radio, unsure if the message broadcast correctly. Heat oftentimes interfered.

Shaking his head to clear a seeming waterfall of sweat off of his eyelids, Walther adjusted his mech's path slightly to account for the Raven's movement and left the throttle exactly where it was. He positioned one finger over the heat override for his fusion reactor, and waited.

As Walther began to close in on the Raven, he braced himself as well he could for the impact. Even if this was a simulator, he had no doubt that what he was about to do was going to physically HURT. Hopefully he'd tightened his safety harnesses down good enough.

Nobody shoot me, nobody shoot me, nobody shoot me...

ACTIONS:
Continue 'charge' at Raven, attempt to ram into it at full speed.